photography

I haven’t managed to do even half of the things I was planning during isolation. I wanted to finally watch season 2 of You, learn to cook heaps of vegetarian dishes, watch all of The Godfather movies, get back into guitar-playing, read some of the most recent best-sellers, and build an award-winning island on Animal Crossing. But I’ve been so occupied with uni and trying to organise a life post-uni for myself that I haven’t had time to tick those items off my list. And obviously lamenting about unfulfilled experiences of leisure is an extremely privileged position to be in. But I think it demonstrates a common expectation that we are supposed to be packing our time with everything we can while we have the opportunity to do so. This is often unrealistic given how confusing this time is for our emotions.

In a time when our movements are restricted and we’re being bombarded with the grim consequences of coronavirus, it can feel like everything’s out of our control. So in order to exercise some control during this time, I have diligently been getting up at a reasonable hour, showering, and putting on an outfit that I feel great wearing. I believe that there is significant power in what you wear and the energy you can obtain from an outfit. For some it has been an opportunity to completely detach from external pressures on our appearance, and to simply wear what we want and put in as little effort as possible. I truly appreciate the liberating effect that has had on people. But for me, making an effort to dress has been a motivating force that helps to make me as productive as I can on a daily basis.

This is similar to when I was restricted and bored during my hip operations. When I felt frustrated from my lack of mobility and inability to go places, I found that I could experience some respite and joy through dressing up. Fashion gave me focus and energy, as styling myself offered a creative outlet that in turn made me feel stronger.

I’ve continued to dress up on a Saturday night to mimic my routine when going out and it’s been a blast! My partner was so kind to take some silly flicks of last Saturday’s outfit. You would think from my outfit that I would be heading out to the clubs, but really I had to head to the kitchen to remove the cauliflower mac and cheese from the oven.

Dress: Kookai

Boots: Witchery

Earrings: Things We Lost

We put the music up loud, have a cocktail or two and have a little dance around the living room. It psychologically feels like a Saturday night when I put a dress on and slap on some make up. A part from giving us something to look forward to every weekend, it’s plenty of fun (although I am looking forward to going out for real on a Saturday night in the foreseeable future). It’s amazing how fashion has the power to transform how you feel and even how you behave in any circumstance, and it is certainly true for me.

After a month of deep consideration, I decided to take the plunge and invest in some locally-made loungewear. I wondered for a while whether it’s irresponsible to spend money on clothes during this time, but I surmised that there’s nothing to lose when excessive amounts of lounging are being carried out. Also, I figured that if I’m going to spend my money then it might as well support local designers.

It’s a matching set by Dominique Healy and is ethically made in Melbourne. The material is soft and perfectly comfortable to engage in some lazy lounging – not to mention gorgeous. It arrived the other day and was left in the middle of the driveway. Luckily I wasn’t going anywhere so there wasn’t a chance of running it over with my car. And once I took it out, I wore it three days in a row because it is truly THAT comfortable.

I was reading about Dominique Healy on Well Made Clothes which described how she is tackling the issue of waste in the fashion industry by producing small amounts of stock and minimising textile waste. We know that the issue of overproduction is prevalent with fast fashion brands. Their tactics include trying to to offload excess stock by drastically cutting prices – or worse- destroying billions of dollars worth of unworn clothing which often ends up in landfill. These practices are suffocating our planet, so it’s important to find designers that are making a difference by counteracting overproduction and textile waste. Plus, I’m pleased that my purchase contributed to the local fashion economy. I get to enjoy the benefit of an ethically-made outfit that will last me for eternity.

I would love to purchase her other coordinated loungewear set in cream, however as my partner rightfully pointed out, I’d get it dirty from all the crumbs as a result of my frequent snacking.

I have decided to stay at my boyfriend’s house during this isolation period, meaning my entire wardrobe is back at home. This is a predicament considering that I derive most of my inspiration and joy from clothes. Often, I will take out favourite dresses or shoes to admire if I need to give myself a little pick-me-up. Or, I just parade around the house in my faux snakeskin boots. But this isolation period won’t be spent in vain, because I have brought with me some key pieces that I will be needing. This mainly comprises of comfortable pj’s, activewear, some outfits for ‘dress-up’, and then for the most important: loungewear.

No longer is activewear the beacon of comfort and aestheticism – it is all about LOUNGEWEAR. The popularity of matching pyjama-like ensembles has soared, and for good reason. You can feel great about changing from your pyjamas into slightly more formal pyjamas, which is just perfect for relocating your Netflix-watching activities from the bed to the couch.

Thank goodness for my investment in linen parts at the start of the year. My attempt at a matching loungewear ensemble is exemplified below, with a cream cable knit and earrings that conveniently match the cover of my favourite instruction manual (Every Woman’s Guide to Saving the Planet by Natalie Isaacs). I like to make some attempt to look decent, because interestingly enough I believe that it makes me more productive.

Inconvenient that it’s not a guide to saving the planet from coronavirus

I think that investing in some loungewear would be worthwhile given our current situation and the ongoing versatility of the style. But as emphasised in my guide to saving the planet, it’s important to take the sustainable route when looking to buy. I haven’t had much success in finding secondhand loungewear online, so instead I’ve been searching for loungewear by local brands with ethical values. The hefty price tag on sustainable wear is always an issue for a now unemployed student like myself, but YOLO right? Nah just joking, I can’t afford to live the YOLO life.

On another note, dressing up and down during isolation helps in maintaining some sense of normalcy. To limit the extent of disruption to my normal schedule, I have decided to dress up every Saturday night as though I am heading out for a night on the town. My boyfriend has also been forced to participate. I am hoping that this will maintain my passion for dressing up, even though the only place I have to go is downstairs.

This was me last Saturday:

Apologies for the background

I wore a Bec & Bridge dress, earrings by Swarovski and a Witchery necklace. Don’t ask about the shoes, because I didn’t bring any nice ones with me. But it gave me an excuse to put on my favourite dress, wear my sparkly earrings and do my face up. Personally, I found the experience somewhat rejuvenating and a welcome distraction from the bleak circumstances. I definitely recommend it, even if it’s just getting dressed up to have a glass of wine on the couch.

I am so blessed to have fashion-forward family members. It’s a good excuse to rummage through their wardrobes to find some vintage pieces that probably haven’t been worn since the 80’s. I barely need to head to the op shops. This top is no exception, as it previously belonged to my aunty and even has a matching long skirt. It’s a gorgeous colour, but what is more striking is the sequinned detail at the back. You could even wear the top as a cardigan, but I’ve chosen to wear it as a top with a few buttons undone because it was such a warm evening. I wore it with a secondhand white denim skirt from Solus Shop (@solus.shop), which I would wear with everything if I could because it’s such a versatile summer staple. I love to add a pop of colour so I matched the outfit with an aquamarine bag from Mimco and mules from Midas. I haven’t worn this bag in a while so it was nice to air it out.

I am still determined to wear every piece of my summer wardrobe before the summer ends to carry on with my challenge from 2019. Despite last year’s shopping ban, I still have so many clothes, and I need to continually remind myself that I don’t need to add anything else to the wardrobe. And if there’s anything that doesn’t spark joy by the end of the summer, then it will probably be sent to the op shop!

A new dress can do remarkable things for your wardrobe’s energy. One month prior to the conclusion of my shopping ban I looked around searching for *the* dress I was going to treat myself to once 2019 was over. I searched in numerous Australian designer stores, fully prepared to spend a bit of cash if I found a dress that I loved as much as my snakeskin boots. I knew that I needed a fresh item in my closet to enthusiastically propel me into the new year. But alas, I couldn’t find anything so I abandoned my search. But on this fateful trip to the battleground of Boxing Day, I found a shirt dress from Sheike – my first non-Witchery dress in a while. It was an unexpected and spontaneous purchase that goes against my newfound minimalist approach, but NO REGRETS. I love the pattern, the colours, the length and the shirred waist. It is pretty much my ideal dress.

I matched it with my white ankle boots (both a summer and winter staple), my burgundy Prada bag and white earrings. I need to wear these white boots more often this summer, they go with everything.

Dress: Sheike

Shoes: Midas

Bag: Prada

I’m not certain how I will go with minimising my buying in 2020 now that I’m released from my ban. The temptation to add to my wardrobe is fairly compelling. So op-shopping is definitely on the cards to curb any potentially unethical purchases, but I think that if you really love something (and not for a temporary timeframe), you might as well go ahead!

2020 has finally arrived and it feels as though there should be robots wondering around on the streets by this point. But luckily a robot/alien invasion isn’t on the cards as all the movies have led us to believe, and instead we’ve been reminiscing about the 1920’s. Like a dream come true, we (comprising of me, my boyf and his sister) hosted a roaring 20’s party to lead us into the New Year. As a pivotal time in fashion, I have always felt so inspired by the 20’s due to the glitz and glamour of the dresses, jewellery, androgynous hairstyles and the parties. As the quintessential novel of that decade, Great Gatsby showcased the excessive opulence of the era in addition to atrocities that were often masked by such conspicuous extravagance. But problematic events aside, the fashion was glorious and I had so much fun putting my costume together as inspired by Baz Luhrmann’s movie.

The dress was from my mum’s wardrobe, as they always are, which she purchased a couple of decades ago. I found this wig from Spotlight which looked nothing like the assigned photo and the description of ‘1920s Flapper Wig’. I’m thinking it gives off more Pulp-Fiction-Uma-Thurman vibes, or even Dora the Explorer, but that’s fine. I wore it with my leather, round-toe shoes from Florence and a white opal necklace.

Needless to say, my priorities were NOT sorted and I failed to get any individual photos. The obligatory front pose, side pose and back pose to show the outfit from 360 degrees was noticeably absent as I was too busy hosting. So the photos where my boyfriend performs the same pose in every shot will have to do. He’s trying to be Leo, just BTW.

Trying to be poised and dignified….

…Until we’re not

So just like that Christmas and New Year’s is done and dusted.

On a more serious note, it feels somewhat odd to be celebrating when disastrous bushfires are burning right across the country, and they’re showing no sign of slowing down. The climate crisis is is real, it’s here and it’s deadly. It’s also downright terrifying. But I’m grateful for these moments I can have with my friends and family, where we can join together and enjoy some laughs, have a dance and be safe. Others are not so fortunate and are unable to celebrate with their loved ones over this holiday period as they continue to battle the fires. I can’t pretend to know what that’s like, but I hope that this year we can all work together to mitigate the effects of climate change. Let’s all try to look after each other in 2020, and have a safe and happy New Year.

It is New Year’s Eve and the next decade is literally hours away! Naturally I’ve been contemplating how on earth 12 months has passed so quickly and what I’ve achieved in 2019, which I always think falls slightly short of my goals. But I recognise that I did the best I could, and I leave 2019 feeling exhausted but pleased. After all, I succeeded in what I planned to do in the beginning of 2019 (may have fallen short by a week, whoops) and reached December 26 without needing to shop for my wardrobe. On the outset it’s a superficial endeavour that for some would be laughable, but as simple as it is, I completed my goal and my carbon footprint has hopefully decreased as a result.

SO NOW IT’S TIME FOR A SHOPPING SPREE!

No, just joking. I really don’t need anything, except for maybe a couple of things here and there. But other than that, the minimal shopping thing really needs to continue into the next decade. My attitude towards consumerism has evolved enough to prevent me from going on a massive shopping expedition anytime in the future, as I have enough stuff in my wardrobe to dress myself (and all my female relatives) for a long time. BUT I must confess that I took a trip to the Boxing Day sales for a bit of an adventure. It’s a bit of a joke that someone who practiced a shopping ban attends the Boxing Day sales for fun, but my sister insisted. I bought some new runners, activewear, and a beautiful dress from Sheike. I didn’t get trampled on and nothing was snatched from my arms. It was actually significantly less frightening than I anticipated.

On Christmas, I wore a Witchery dress – of course, as Witchery clothes for uniform were the only clothes I could buy this year- Mimco earrings, and white mules from Zara that I got for Christmas. I can’t go past a teal dress and some matching bejewelled earrings. Everyone in my family dresses up for these occasions, and we had a lovely, food-filled afternoon with plenty of laughs. We are so lucky. Plus, we got a peek of the Melbourne summer.

My main girls

Dress: Witchery

Shoes: Zara

Earrings: Mimco

Tonight I’m co-hosting a 1920’s themed New Year’s Eve party where I’m wearing a dress of my mum’s from 15 years ago. I’ll be donning a black bob wig, and hopefully I can round up some jewellery from the dress up box to fit with the theme. I wish I had time to watch some Great Gadsby for inspiration, but scrolling through Pinterest will have to suffice. I’ll be posting photos hopefully tomorrow, so stay tuned.

Thanks for following my adventures in 2019, and I hope you have a safe and happy New Year! x